People

Brandon Chalifoux, Assistant Professor

Prior to joining the College of Optical Sciences (2020-present), I completed my Ph.D. and Postdoctoral training at MIT in the Space Nanotechnology Laboratory. I completed a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Rice Unviersity. Aside from research and teaching, I enjoy rock climbing, mountain biking, and trying to avoid the cholla during both.

Graduate students

Kevin Laverty, PhD student (Optical Sciences)

I began my PhD at the College of Optical Sciences in 2020.

Brody McElwain, PhD student (Optical Sciences)

I graduated from Penn State with a B.S. and M.S. in Engineering Science and Mechanics in 2022. I started my PhD in Optical Sciences at UofA in 2022. My research involves using USP and Bessel beam optics to fabricate spacers used to align x-ray mirrors. In my spare time I enjoy climbing, live music, and going to the movies.

Sofia Hillman, PhD student (Optical Sciences)

Lakshmi Priya Keerthi Gurunathan, PhD student (Optical Sciences)

Kyle Ettinger, MS student (Optical Sciences)

Bernie Lee, MS student (Optical Sciences)

Peikun Guo, MS student (Optical Sciences)

Undergraduate students

Research staff

Ian Arnold, Research Engineer

I have been a Research Engineer at the University of Arizona since 2018. Prior to that I completed a M.S degree in Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona working with ultrafast attosecond spectroscopy. I also received a M.S. and B.S. degrees in physics from the University of Nevada, Reno where I built atmospheric instrumentation. I am a very hands-on person who enjoys building things.